Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim predicted today that the “Datuk T” trio will likely be slapped with “minimal charges” for their involvement in the sex video caper.
The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) de facto leader appeared unaffected when informed this afternoon that the trio behind the sex video purportedly featuring him with a foreign prostitute are expected to be charged in court this Friday.
“Knowing the Attorney-General and his track record, I am sure it will be a very minimal sort of charge to appease the forces, like all other politically motivated charges, except when it involves opposition leaders,” he told reporters at a press conference in Parliament.
Anwar added that he was “unconvinced” that the government was serious in its bid to take action against the trio, reiterating his belief that the men were agents of the ruling party.
The Malaysian Insider reported earlier today that the trio — businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, former Malacca chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik and Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim — are expected to be charged at the Jalan Duta court on Friday.
“Shazryl ... he seems to be an Umno conduit ... helping the Umno leadership. And who are the other criminals complicit? Rahim and Shuib Lazim ... One is a great moral leader and one is a Perkasa leader.
“You mean to say that Umno wants to seriously take action against them? I am unconvinced,” Anwar said.
He stressed that it was likely that the only reason why the controversial 21-minute recording could have been distributed so widely was because it had the endorsement of the ruling party.
“A straightforward case like this has been deferred for far too long and then, it is still being widely distributed.
“Encouraged by the government, tolerated by the Home Ministry and the police. I reiterate that point. It is impossible for pornographic material to be publicised and released in the hundreds and thousands if it is not protected by the powers that be,” he said.
Anwar also shrugged off the possibility that the court case would be used as an avenue to prove that he is indeed the man in the video.
“They can ... whatever they want to do, it does not matter. I will just have to deal with it when it comes,” he said.
The police had earlier sought the assistance of foreign experts to determine the authenticity of the man featured in the video.
On March 21, a mysterious “Datuk T” had screened a video purportedly showing Anwar having sex with an unidentified woman.
Former Malacca chief minister Abdul Rahim, businessman Shazryl and Shuib later claimed responsibility for the video, saying they screened the video to show “a man who wants to be prime minister is not qualified.”
Following a police investigation into the screening, the trio claimed to have surrendered the only copy of the sex video to the police but the clips were later distributed to politicians and uploaded on YouTube.com.
